Skin and Bones
by SilentBobina
Summary: Paige questions how good she actually looks, but will her plan cost her more than just weight? Also Craig and Ellie AU idea... what if she and Craig had met before he'd met Manny or Ash?
1. Catalyst

**Skin and Bones**

A/N: So this is a story I modified because no one liked my original character. I decided she was already a lot like Ellie plus I love Ellie and Craig together and I'd never tried it.

"Class, for this project we will be pairing up with a student from the beginning drama class," said Mr. Johnson. The class was snapping out of a dreamy stupor from the teacher's hour long lecture on tinting. Then a large group of students walked in. "Pick someone you feel you could use in many different types of shots. "This project is about diversity." Mr. Johnson Continued, "Black and white shots, tints, different looks and many shot angles should be used in your final portfolio." With that Mr. Johnson turned toward the drama teacher. "Thank you for lending us your time and students." Mr. Johnson said dramatically. "Now class, choose your partners." Craig looked up as his class slowly began to shuffle through the room examining the prospects. There were many different students, all of them seemingly unique and yet still blending together in Craig's eyes. Paige, Spinner and a few other people Craig recognized were among the crowd.

"Hey dude," Spinner said, "Why don't we work together?" Craig contemplated it, imagining Spinner lounging on a bed making pouty faces and kissy lips and silently laughed. Then he noticed her. She was separated from the large throng of students and she had her own way about her that was deep and multidimensional. Spinner turned around to see what had Craig so transfixed. "Ellie, yeah, I've tried to get with her before, didn't work out. She tends to be kind of cold."

Craig ignored Spinner walking past him towards Ellie muttering, "uh-huh." He approached her in what he hoped was an open and friendly way. "Hey, you got a partner?" He asked nervously.

Ellie started and looked up at him, quickly closing the book she'd been writing in. "Uh, no but I'm not photogenic," She paused for effect, "at all," She laughed nervously. Craig gave her the once over. She had red hair that fell down to her shoulders and narrow hazel eyes. Her nose was cute, coming to a sort of V-shape at the tip. She dressed in dark clothes, fishnets, alternative styles.

"Well you're different," he reasoned, "I like it," He continued, giving her a reassuring smile. She returned it a bit unsure of what he was getting at. Usually the way she dressed and looked got her called names and even though she'd never compromise herself she always wondered if being different could really be a good thing.

"I'm Ellie, by the way," She sighed, "And you are…"

"Oh, uh I'm Craig." He said, as if he'd forgotten his own name.

"Ok then Craig," She said, "I'll work with you, but you can't trade me in or anything," She said seriously, with a friendly smile.

Craig laughed before he could stop himself and Ellie sort of scowled at him. "No, no, I didn't mean," He sighed, trying to slow down and explain. "Sorry, it's just, heh, no photographer would turn you in." With that Ellie smiled again and Craig stood there grinning like an idiot back at her.

"Guess who," Spinner said in a sing-song voice as he came up behind Paige and covered her eyes.

"Hey babe," Paige answered turning around and giving him a peck on the lips. "So what are we doing today?" She asked.

"Oh, I have to work but I get off at five and since my parents are away I was thinking…" he trailed off pulling her closer.

"Hmmm, sounds fun to me," Paige said giving him a naughty look and turning away.

"Well then," Spinner said slyly, "Meet me at work at five so we can eat, then go home and have… dessert."

Paige slapped him playfully on the arm and whispered, "You bad, bad boy. I wouldn't miss it," She said, kissing him deeply then leaving him to go to Cheer Practice.

At five, The Dot was packed and as she walked in Paige saw Spin waiting for her in a window booth. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she joined him. "How was work, honeybee?" she asked.

"Like this," Spinner replied, throwing up his hands to indicate the chaos around them.

"Fuuunnn," She said sarcastically. At that point a waiter came over. Spinner ordered first, and then the waiter turned to Paige.

"I'll have a cheeseburger, cheese fries, a side of onion rings, and a milkshake." Paige said confidently.

"What size?" The waiter asked.

"Large," She said off hand. As the waiter left Paige turned back to Spinner whose mouth was hanging open in shock. "What?" Paige asked irritably.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied smoothly, wiping his shock off his face and putting on a smile.

"No, WHAT?" Paige said, with a dangerous look.

"Nothing," Spinner insisted defensively. "It's just… you eat a lot."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Paige glared, daring him to agree.

"No," He responded, too quickly, "You – you just have a healthy appetite, it's nice to see in a girl."

Paige scoffed, "I can't believe this, you think I'm FAT!"

"What?" Spin exploded, "I never said that. I think you're beautiful, you know that."

"Yeah, beautiful and fat," She rebuked stubbornly.

"Alright, babe let's just drop it," Spinner said, giving her a meaningful look, "You're the most beautiful girl in the world."

Paige pouted for a minute then softened up. Giving Spinner a mischievous smile she asked, "Do you really think so?"

"I don't think so, I know so," He replied.

The rest of the dinner passed with lots of conversation about Paige's new clothes and hair and the horribleness of math tests. The argument seemed all but forgotten. Still Paige barely touched her food. She kept playing with it and looking at it but she only ate a few bites. "Eyes bigger than your stomach," Spin asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Paige replied.


	2. Intimacy

**Skin and Bones**

"Ok so what do I do?" asked Ellie.

"Just, just be yourself," Craig answered, camera in hand. They were in Ellie's room getting started on their project.

"Ok," She smiled apprehensively. Craig snapped a picture.

"Wow, that, that smile was perfect," Craig said, practically beaming. Ellie blushed and walked toward her closet.

"Do you want me to try on something else?" She pointed into her closet. There were a lot of different styles. She never wore all the girly stuff her mother bought her she mostly wore all the dark clothes. Some of her friends from her old school had always assumed she was goth so there was some of that stuff in the closet that she never wore. There was also an endless array of t-shirts, some jeans, and camouflage her father bought her.

"Wow," Craig gasped, "uh, sure go put on something Goth and I'll shoot it in black and white."

Ellie grabbed an outfit and went to change in the bathroom. She felt like she was playing dress up since she hadn't worn the outfit for a year at least. She left the door slightly cracked and Craig couldn't stop himself from looking. He leaned back in the chair he had sat in to wait slightly and saw her naked shoulder blade. All of a sudden Craig lost his balance and fell backwards.

"Are you okay Craig?" Shouted Ellie when she heard the loud thump of Craig and the chair slamming against the floor.

"I'm fine," Said Craig as he winced from hitting his head. "Don't worry, just get ready." She took a bit more time, putting on make-up to add the full Goth touch. When she came out Craig had to stand behind the bed for the sake of hiding his lower half. He thought she looked amazingly hot. She had on black lipstick and an overdone amount of black eyeliner and eye shadow but it didn't change Craig's opinion, it suited her. It made her eyes out stand out even more, he thought. She looked slightly uncomfortable and Craig wasn't sure if it was because he was staring at her or if it was because she wasn't used to such a sexy outfit. She was wearing a long tight black skirt with slits up to her calves and a black tube top. She was also wearing big platform boots with stiletto heels.

"Wow, that's wow!" Craig stammered.

"Is it too much?" Ellie asked, shuffling from foot to foot. Her stomach was hanging out slightly now and the skirt hung just right on her hips.

"Uh, uh, no, not at all, I like it," Craig repeated.

"Really? Cause you seem uncomfortable," She said sitting on her bed. Craig's hand automatically crossed in front of his groin.

"No," Craig said firmly, finally gaining control of his thoughts, "God no, I like it a lot, if anything… I like it too much," Craig explained looking slightly down with his eyes. Ellie gave him a cute quizzical look which he made her hold until he got a picture. "Um, ok, sit at your desk here," Craig said switching into professional mode. "And pretend to write in that black book over there." Ellie did as she was told and sat down. "ok, uh, look sullen, yeah, sullen," Craig directed, "and I'm gonna take a few from down here just to get a different angle." Craig finished, crouching down on the floor by her feet.

"Like this?" Ellie asked, putting on her best tortured artist face and gazing down at the open notebook.

"Yeah, you're doing great!" Craig replied snapping shots every now and then. Next Craig took a few dramatic close-ups of Ellie with a fake rose he found in her room. He had Ellie hold the rose up to her cheek. His idea was to tint the rose a bright red on a black and white shot. Then Ellie came up with an even more dramatic effect with her mascara running down one cheek while the rose was on the other. Ellie worked up her tears on cue and Craig had the amazing feeling of accomplishment and he knew without a doubt that the pictures would be great. "How do you just cry like that?" Craig asked, amazed.

"I'm a good actress," Ellie replied, resentment burning in her voice.

Paige stood in front of the mirror in Spinner's bathroom later that night. She turned profile and looked at herself. Her stomach which had always seemed just right to her all of a sudden looked huge. She sucked in and looked again. "That's my goal," She muttered to herself. Paige stood on the scale sighing at her 120 pound weight. 'I'll just lose ten pounds,' she thought, "I'm sure that will get rid of the extra fat.'

"Hey, babe, you ok in there?" Spinner shouted through the bathroom door.

"Hold on a minute Hun," Paige snapped back. Paige sighed and walked out of the bathroom. "Sorry it took so long," She said cheerfully, sitting next to Spinner on the couch.

"It's ok, I got us some snacks while you were gone," He smiled and munched on some cheese curls, he held out the bowl to her, "Want some?"

"Nah, maybe later," Paige replied. Spin shrugged and popped in the movie. Paige glanced at the bowl of cheese curls. Her stomach was growling but she knew she couldn't eat. Spinner sat back down and picked up the bowl while putting his arm around her. After a while the crunch of the cheese curls started to grind on Paige's nerves. She wanted them and it was all she could think about. Paige clicked off the tv and turned towards Spinner. Grabbing the bowl of cheese curls she whispered, "Hun, let's ditch the movie." With that Paige sucked on his ear and put the bowl on the coffee table. Spinner whimpered and pulled her back. He kissed her deeply and as their tongues intertwined Paige tasted the cheese curls. The forbidden fruit was in her mouth and she couldn't take it anymore. She stopped kissing Spinner abruptly and turned to the tv, clicking the movie back on. Spinner was confused but he didn't say anything. Paige focused on the movie and picked up the bowl of cheese curls. She began shoving them in her mouth one by one at a startling speed.

"Slow down," Spinner said, chuckling.

"Hhmmm?" Paige mumbled through cheese curls, as if she was behaving normally.

"Uh, are you ok?" Spin asked.

"What do you mean am I okay?" Paige returned between bites. Knowing he was close to trouble Spinner shook his head and said nothing more. After a while Paige put down the now empty cheese curl bowl and stood up quickly. "I'm gonna go," Paige said, kissing Spinner on the cheek and heading to the door.

"Wait, are you sure you're ok?" Spinner asked, looking concerned, and blocking her from the door.

"I'm fine," Replied Paige with an unconvincing smile.

"Ok," Spin sighed, deciding to believe her, "But you've been acting strange all night, I mean first you don't eat anything, than you blow me off." Paige scoffed and turned her back on him. "Are you still mad about what I said? Because I'm sorry… I didn't mean for it to come out that way." Spinner grabbed Paige's arm and gave her an apologetic stare.

Paige pushed past him saying, "I'm fine Spin, see you tomorrow."


	3. Reflections

**Skin and Bones**

Craig was in his dark room that night developing the pictures from Ellie's house. Each one made him smile a little wider as he finished it. He'd never met someone so unique. She didn't fit anywhere, and Craig found it intriguing just how many places she could fit. No matter how much he tried he couldn't stop thinking about Ellie and the project. His mind was buzzing with ideas and he couldn't wait until tomorrow when he could share them with Ellie. They had the same vision for the project and she was such an amazing actress that she could easily produce any emotions Craig asked her for. As he tinted the rose in the picture he thought about how tragically beautiful she had been and he realized he'd found his muse.

Ellie's Journal: TOP SECRET!

Today I met someone. His name is Craig. He's not like the other people in that stupid school. He's nicer for one and he's charming. Today he came over to start work on this drama/photography project we paired up for. Well actually it was more like he CHOSE me which is soooo big. I think I've finally made a friend. He's gorgeous too, with beautiful shaggy black curls and this very sure way about himself. I hope he never realizes how good he looks or else it's over for any girl that wants a real relationship with him. I'm afraid he thinks I'm a spaz. I can't wait to work with him tomorrow, maybe I'll even sit with him at lunch or something. This could be a good friendship for me.

Paige sat on her bed after getting home from Spinner's. She felt dirty. She thought angrily of all the calories she'd just consumed. 'Why can't I control myself?' She thought. All she wanted was to get rid of the dead weight from the food she'd just consumed as it settled in her stomach. Paige tried to shake the feeling reasoning that she was just tired and that she'd feel better in the morning.

In the morning it didn't feel any better. Paige went to her mirror and groaned as she poked her stomach, noticing for the first time just how much it moved. It sickened her that she looked like such a slug. The need to rid her body of the heavenly cheese curls grew to nausea and Paige heaved into the toilet.

Spinner sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. He never meant to make Paige think she was overweight. Now he was worried about her and wasn't sure how he could help. All he knew was that she was beautiful and he loved her. He needed her to know these things so she might see herself in a different light. He hoped desperately that she hadn't done anything rash since she'd left his house. He barely slept at all he was so worried, tossing and turning and when he got to school the next morning he looked horrible.


	4. Walls

**Skin and Bones**

"Hey," Ellie said cheerfully coming up behind Craig the next morning.

"Hey," Craig said, smiling widely, "Here, have some pictures." Craig continued, handing her the photos he'd developed the night before.

"Wow Craig, these are brilliant!" Ellie grinned, "You have an eye for art."

"Nah, they would have been nothing without you," Craig replied nervously. Ellie looked up at him and held his glance examining him until Craig had to look away, the intensity of her eyes was burning him. "Heh," He laughed to himself, "Can you imagine Spinner in these pictures?" Ellie laughed and Craig walked her to class.

After school that day they went to Ellie's house again together. Craig noticed that Ellie's mom was home today and that she was asleep, surrounded by lots of empty beers. "Are you sure your mom won't mind us being here?" He asked as Ellie was rummaging through her closet. Craig heard her take a deep breath and sigh. "She can't mind," Ellie said emotionlessly, "She's passed out, again." Ellie sighed as she turned around throwing her outfit on the bed and crossing the room towards her desk. Craig walked over to her.

"At least your mom is still here," Craig said comfortingly.

"Only in the physical sense, Ellie said bitterly, her voice beginning to crack with tears.

"Does she hurt you?" He whispered, kneeling down beside Ellie. Ellie looked at him with tears brimming.

After a moments hesitation she said, "No, she just doesn't do anything, she doesn't talk to me, doesn't notice me. She's always here yet never here. She just leaves me alone." Craig looked at her and tried to feel the same abandonment she must have felt.

"I'm not allowed to see my step-dad or my sister and my father well… he's not a nice guy," Craig searched for a comparison to her life in there. "I feel like my stepfather abandoned me. If he only knew what my father does," He whispered.

Ellie looked at him feeling like he had something worse than she did in his life and she wanted to know if she was right. "What does he do?" Ellie asked. She leaned closer to him waiting for his answer.

Craig was embarrassed, gushing like this to her, yet even though their situations weren't exactly the same he felt they had a connection. "He hits me," Craig said nonchalantly. Ellie's eyes widened. Out of the grief Craig felt he leaned up and kissed her, a hard short peck.

Ellie began to cry then and though Craig wasn't sure why she was crying, he held her, he gently led her to her bed and sat her down, and he held her. After a few minutes Ellie began to break into short sniffles and the sobs stopped. She looked up at him and whispered, "Thanks." Craig looked down at her and kissed her again, longer this time and this time, she pulled away.

"So," she said, getting up quickly "This is the outfit I picked out. Don't you think it's a good idea?" She asked enthusiastically. "I'll go change." With that Ellie walked to the bathroom and shut the door tight behind her.

Craig sat there alone and wondered if he had pushed too much. He knew he wanted to be with her and he had thought she felt the same. Now he wasn't sure. He only wanted to be with her. That's when he saw her notebook. He knew he probably shouldn't look but he couldn't resist. He opened it to the last page with writing on it. He saw his name and read the entry all through. She had called him gorgeous and charming. So he hadn't been wrong to think there was an attraction, now he didn't understand why she had pulled away. He pushed the book back onto the desk and closed it.

"Tada," Ellie squealed as she came out in her new outfit. It was a baggy black "Don't Label Me" tee over a white mesh top, blue jeans, and combat boots.

"Great!" Craig said enthusiastically, picking up his camera, "This will be the cover shot," Craig reasoned. Ellie stood with her legs shoulder length apart and pointed to the shirt with a wacky look on her face. Craig laughed as he took the picture. "You're wonderful," He said, smiling at her. She returned it with her usual shy smile and she flopped down on her bed. Craig snapped another quick picture and sat on the bed beside her.

"Why did you kiss me?" Ellie asked suddenly.

"I'm sorry," Craig stammered, Ellie put up her hands to stop him.

"It's okay," She said smiling, "Just tell me why."

"Because I really like you." Craig choked out, "But I guess you don't like me," He finished looking down at his hands. Ellie smiled to herself and kissed Craig on the cheek. He gave her a hopeful look.

"I really like you too," She said seriously, "But right now I really just need a friend… and you're a great friend."

Craig smiled at her and took her hand in his. "I can be a good friend and I can be a lover at the same time." He said.

"Ok," She said, after thinking for a few moments. Her heart was pounding, "Just please take it slow."

Craig smiled widely. "We'll take it as slow as you want," He insisted.

Ellie smiled and kissed him softly on the lips, and he returned the kiss gladly.


End file.
